New to the Menu | Java spot a cool place to refuel

Thursday

Nov 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 29, 2012 at 1:28 PM

Located inside what was once a service station, Global Gallery Fair Trade Coffee Shop is the gift shop's venture into food service. Once offered only on weekends, breakfast is now available until 11 a.m. through the week.

Located inside what was once a service station, Global Gallery Fair Trade Coffee Shop is the gift shop’s venture into food service.

Once offered only on weekends, breakfast is now available until 11 a.m. through the week.

The large cappuccino ($3.50) is based on a light espresso roast. The large macchiato ($3.50) trades some of the milk for foam, giving a better result.

The most unusual coffee drink is probably the coffee version of chai ($4 for a large), with complex chai flavors, including cardamom, to flavor the coffee and the milk. The chai mix is apparently made in-house, from scratch, and it shows.

The mild and savory Momos, sort of Tibetan dumplings ($3.50), have Asian-style wraps around a filling of ground beef, chopped greens and onion.

The pumpkin cheesecake ($3) is made across the street at Melissa’s Incredible Edibles. The rich, dense, creamy and not overly spiced filling is set in a crust with a slight ginger flavor.

Another treat is the almond cake ($3.50) from Patisserie Lallier. Made without stabilizers, it shows off its vanilla and egg flavors. Also made on-premises, the plain chili ($4.50) has mild cumin, onion and tomato notes. Several kinds of beans are used, but they have been undercooked.

On the other hand, the vegan wild harvest stew ($4.50), which sources just about everything locally, is an excellent mix of flavors from several cabbages, greens, tomatoes, sweet peppers and serrano pepper.

Quiches vary daily and are built on flaky phyllo dough. The spinach version ($4.50) is well-baked.